Educational technology tools to overcome our state of emergency in reading and mathematics performance

Key points:

At the beginning of 2020, educators and students across the country were living in a fast-paced world full of constant choices, adjustments, and changes. But in March of that year everything changed. Our district, like many across the country, was forced to reimagine what learning looked like. Under the great leadership of Dr. Shawn Foster, Superintendent of the Orangeburg County School District, my school district had an active action plan to ensure continuity of learning for all students.

While we are increasingly removed from the everyday impacts of the COVID pandemic, in some ways it is still with us. Although all team members worked hard to maintain continuity of learning during the pandemic, COVID has left our students' reading and math skills in a state of emergency. Today, our challenge is to empower, encourage, equip and support our teachers and students as they make up for learning lost during the pandemic.

To support the success of all students in the post-pandemic world and address the state of emergency in our students' reading and math skills, our district has reviewed its educational technology resources. We have decided to retain those that have been shown to be effective in helping our students recover lost learning. These are the tools we keep:

Waterford.org provides parents and educators with a variety of resources that support young learners. From its powerful early literacy curriculum from PK-2 to its math literacy tools and numerous professional learning opportunities, Waterford.org offers help to teachers and parents to support the development of literacy and mathematics skills of students in primary school.

Through the South Carolina Department of Education's Instructional Center, my school system and School systems across the state have free access to Discovery Education. Experience. The wide range of digital resources now available to me helps me better differentiate instruction and provide students at all levels with the appropriate resources to improve their math and literacy scores. The high-quality resources offered by Discovery Education also feed my students' natural curiosity, making them the perfect tool to improve student engagement.

Eureka Mathematics It is also an important component in our efforts to drive student success in mathematics. It has a spiral curriculum that builds on each lesson daily. As Eureka Math focuses on key concepts that overlap over time, students gain an enduring set of mathematical knowledge, not just a discrete set of skills. Additionally, because students use the same models and problem-solving methods from grade to grade, mathematical concepts stay with them year after year.

In addition to Eureka Math, we use I'm ready. i-Ready, a connected system of assessments and learning resources, gives educators like me not only a deeper understanding of what my students know and don't know, but also a wealth of resources to help me remedy what It is necessary to enrich the students who operate. above grade level.

To give teachers even more information about our students' understanding of basic concepts, my school system now combines i-Ready and Domain connection implement mini-assessments that allow us to target support in identified areas even faster than before. The insights gained from these mini-assessments help identify areas that need additional help very quickly, allowing me to adjust teaching and provide students with more individual support.

Adding to all of these resources are resources from several nonprofit providers, such as the Save the Children Foundation and the 21st Century After-School Program. This content provides after-school caregivers with additional tools to help students continue learning after the final bell.

As much as we would like to think we have overcome the COVID pandemic, the fact is that we will be dealing with its consequences for a long time. Fortunately, the district I am proud to serve (the Orangeburg School District in South Carolina) is dedicated to ensuring that all students discover and develop their person, purpose, and platform through high-quality educational experiences. They are putting their money where their mouth is by ensuring educators have the tools necessary to overcome our current state of emergency. I believe these resources, when in the hands of my innovative colleagues, will get the job done!